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Motivational Keynote Speaker

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Even if you are not the least bit athletic or interested in participating in sports, you can learn how to be a winner by applying the principles culled from sports psychologists, who focus on the mental skills that turn competitors into champions. By learning the four C’s of mental toughness, you too can be a champion – in any endeavor you choose.

Commitment to winning

It is essential to take the time to reflect on why you really want to win and do well. Before setting out to achieve your goal, consider whether you want to succeed to please other people (such as parents, peers, partners, spouses) or to meet some external judgment of “how you should be.” If this is the case, it will be very difficult to sustain your efforts because your actions are motivated by factors outside of you. In contrast, if you driven by a genuine desire that comes from within, it will be much easier to increase and sustain actions needed to make it to the winner’s circle. Rather than trying to motivate yourself from outside, you are inspired by your inner being. Your winning instinct is engaged.

Confidence and optimism

In one major study, the researchers found that the most mentally tough athletes were also the most confident. They were optimistic and hopeful when facing uncertain outcomes, a major factor in determining which of two types of behavior were adopted: continued striving or giving up and turning away. Optimistic individuals are more likely to increase their efforts to attain goals, whereas pessimistic people are likely to withdraw from situations and disengage from attempts to reach their desired outcomes. To be more mentally tough, learn to replace negative thoughts (“I made a mistake”) with positive thoughts (“I can win if I stick to my game plan”). If you fall into a spiral of uncertain thoughts, don’t dwell on the voice that tells you you’re not good enough. Instead, do something that builds your self-esteem, such as recounting past successes. And remember, when you make an error, refocus on what’s ahead of you. A mistake is already history, so learn from the situation and move forward.

Control your emotions

The difference between winning and losing often comes down to the ability to control your emotional responses when facing difficulties or disappointments. One emotion that often leads to a poor outcome is anxiety. This can take the physical form of butterflies in your stomach or the mental version of confusion and lack of concentration. To counter anxiety, try breathing deeply, stretching, or muscle relaxation. Remember that anxiety and excitement are flip sides of the same coin. They share the same feeling state of nervous energy. Change your anxiety into excitement by anticipating a successful outcome and accepting that nervousness is a result of stepping out of your comfort zone and up to the next level.

View a stressful situation as a Challenge

Champions have the ability to cope with stressful situations because they exert control over the stress they experience.Here are three strategies they use. First, break down any stressful situation into smaller, more manageable pieces and determine what you can and cannot control. Now you are ready to direct your energies towards the elements you can control, which sets the conditions for a successful outcome. Another strategy is mental imagery. Create images in your mind’s eye were you see yourself performing a specific task successfully and feel the resulting sense of satisfaction and competency. A third tactic is logical analysis. By evaluating past successes and failures, you can think of solutions to any possible problems before they arise. In this way, you are lowering the intensity of the stress you may experience.

Are you ready to put yourself in the winner’s circle by improving your mental toughness? Athletes know that if they want to succeed they need to practice. The same is true for you. Repetition is the key to developing the mental acumen you need to unlock your potential and perform at your best. “Just Do It!”

Low self-esteem and lack of confidence will definitely put you on a downward spiral. But don’t despair. These three strategies will help boost your confidence and raise your spirits.

Confidence Builder #1: Make a Dependable Skills Inventory

You have strengths that are dependable through your life. In other words, these strengths are always there for you, even if they have lain dormant for a while. This exercise helps you to identify these qualities and make an inventory of them, which you can access in times of crisis when you need a confidence boost.

Think of times in your past when you have done something you are proud of, even if these seem insignificant.

List at least three. Next to them list the qualities, or dependable strengths, that they show you possess.

Confidence Builder #2: Keep a “Three Good Things Diary

Being self-critical can become a habit. Keeping a three-good-things diary is a way of developing kinder, more helpful ways of thinking. In fact, focusing on positives not only increases confidence, it also improves health.

Include all kinds of actions and tasks. Avoid dismissive thinking, such as “Anyone could have done that.” Don’t take things for granted, such as “But I had to cook the dinner anyway.” Remember, it is the ordinary, not the extraordinary, you are looking to notice.

It helps to think how you might describe a good friend who had performed the same action.

Confidence Builder #3: Make a 1% Change

Rather than try to push past fears and insecurities when making a change, start small. By making small changes to your behavior, you can begin to test out what your underlying beliefs might be so you can eradicate them.

Identify one thing you do currently that you would like to change. Ask yourself, “What is that smallest change I can make to that behavior? For example, if you always stay late for work, could you go home on time just one day a week?

It can help to think about someone who is the opposite of you in terms of the behavior. What would it be like to take one step towards being more like that person?

Use these strategies to feel more confident, and I guarantee you’ll find yourself on an upward spiral.

Do you have bad body thoughts? Do you focus on the areas of your physical appearance that you find wanting and then feel bad about yourself? Do you obsess about your body size and shape, your wrinkles, your stature, your physique? If so, you are not alone. Male or female, in today’s appearance conscious culture, it’s nearly impossible to pass a mirror without some critical judgment popping into your head. There’s nothing like bad body thoughts to put you on a permanent downward spiral. It’s time to stop. Below is a POSITIVE APPEARANCE MANIFESTO (adopted from the Positive Beauty Manifest, Psychologies Magazine, June 2011). Start practicing these 10 principles to put yourself on an upward spiral.

Appearance is the celebration of what is unique about you.

Taking the time to care for yourself boosts your self-confidence.

Appearance is complex. It does not follow a simplistic set of rules and universal conventions.

Look to intelligent, individual and confident role models and celebrate their appearance.

Don’t allow the media bombardment of unattainable, perfect appearance ideals to damage your confidence as these ideals are not REAL.

True appearance radiates who you truly are and includes all your imperfections.

Feeling attractive is more important than looking attractive.

You can enhance your image through hair styles, clothes, etc. without being superficial.

Neither neglecting your appearance nor obsessing about it are healthy.

You can be attractive regardless of your age or weight.

You are you. You are attractive when you feel attractive. You feel attractive when you love yourself for who you are. Try playing this game. Take a day and pretend you are beautiful/handsome. Really get into the feeling. Now watch how others respond to you. If you really play the game, you will receive compliments and attention based on the attractive mindset you have adopted. It’s that simple. Attractiveness, bottom line, is in your mind!

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